Yes. I may have been broken but I am not beaten and the good news is ... I may be on the mend.
As I move into the 16th week of my training and the marathon is now 37 days away, I have a few confessions to make:
1.) This was a lot harder than I expected.
Now don't get me wrong. I knew that this would be hard, but I don't think anyone really understands the time commitment, dedication and physical demands this training can put on your body.
2.) I haven't come this far without setbacks.
Injuries, pulled muscles and frequent visits to the physiotherapist and massage therapist.
3. I completed my 30km training race on March 28th, in Hamilton but this goal did not come without tears. Although I crossed the finish line, got the medal and the photo let's just say it really didn't go as planned.
Let me share my Around the Bay experience:
Ara, JoAnne and I drove to Hamilton. We even had time to stop for a Tim Horton tea. Things felt ok, but I was well aware that I was having issues with my knee and even before I started my knee felt tight. "It's just a slow training run, it's not a race." I repeated in my head over and over. That and "Right, Left, Repeat"
Now, for those that don't know Hamilton's Around the Bay Road Race is the oldest on the continent, first run in 1894, three years before the Boston Marathon. It is known for it's challenging route and those that who have run this race say if you can run the ATB 30k, you can run a flat Mississauga 42kms. Let's just say there is a reason!
The starting gun went off, I ran a comfortable 10k through a not so pretty area of Hamilton. I even had some interesting conversations along the way. Hey, when you are running beside the same people for 3-4 hours, its kinda hard not to chat. Plus you know me, I love this stuff and cant help myself.
One of the memorable conversations was with an an 86 year old man who was running in bowling shoes. I started the conversation by saying "You look like a man who has ran this race before." He responded. "I am 86, I have run this race more times than I can count and I will continue to run until I can't run anymore." Amazing, eh? and yes he did end up finishing before me.
I continued running at a comfortable pace and saw the sign for Burlington around 20km. 2hrs 22mins in and right on pace. Then came the hills...now I was anticipating the hills but had no idea that the race was poorly named and should have been called UP THE F"IN Mountain! I was experience excruciating pain on the side of my left knee and for those who have ever experienced ITB pain, you know how this can stop you dead in your tracks. Even walking became difficult. My slow and steady run quickly changed to a sad looking speed walk. 3hrs in and the sky went dark and it began to rain. SERIOUSLY! SERIOUSLY! I asked the skies.
Then I saw a girl named Angie. She looked ill/white. I stopped to ask "Are you ok?" She responded "No. I have pulled both my groin muscles". Ok, this just proves it. No matter how bad you think you feel, there is always someone else who has it worse. Angie said, "My family is waiting at the finish line but I just don't think I can do this." "Yes you can and we will do it together." Angie and I walked the remaining kms and when Copps Coliseum came into sight, we ran down the ramp and into the building to cross the finish line. We were done in 4hrs. (40 minutes later than what I expected), but this didn't matter we were done. Without hesitation the two of us hugged and thanked each other for the support.
I am a strong believer that their are guardian angels and periodically they show up when you are running. At times where you need a friend, encouragement or support. I know I have experienced this and hopefully on that day, I did my part to pay that forward. Another cool thing... Angie told me that she is also running the Mississauga Marathon, so I will look for her and hope to see her again.
Moral of the blog... yes running is hard, painful at times, but even a setback can be positive experience and at the end of the day I love to run. 37 days and counting!
